Mikhail Bardzecki
*'This article is a part of the Code Genesis continuity'. "I'm really starting to hate this country." --Mikhail, on dealing with the events that Alex had created. Mikhail Bardzecki born January 14th, 1958, was born the son of Dimitri and Manya Bardzecki, a near poor bank worker and a stay-at-home wife in Moscow. Mikhail, being born the oldest of his family was expected to take care of his other brother and sister, to help his mother around their small town house. Mikhail and his siblings were forced to sleep in a small room together due to the poverty the family suffered through after the effects of WWII. While never having any direct contact with Umbrella, his family became targets of the war once he had joined the Soviet Army and were later killed by brutal means. Mikhail was wounded in battle and sent to recuperate in a tent with Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Demidov, a superior officer whom Mikhail had never met before. The two would later become good friends and not just allies on the war front. Ivan and Mikhail were rarely seen apart from each other, despite their vast separation of rank and status. When Ivan met and fell in love with Mary Walker, Mikhail actually supported this relationship, despite the ill-feelings the Americans and the Russians felt toward one another at the time. He was just happy to see his friend and superior officer happy. However, when Mary was later killed, Mikhail distrusted anyone who came in contact with Ivan, for fear of his safety and the safety of his leader's son. He became the godfather of Mischa shortly after the boy was born. What was strange for him was meeting Claire Redfield for the first time. Mikhail first expressed apathy toward her, but he learned that Claire was a genuinely kind person and seemed to get along well with his leader. It shocked him when Claire actually struck up a decent conversation with him in their travels. Later on, when Ivan expresses emotions for Claire, Mikhail supports it because Claire was the only woman who has made Ivan happy in such a long time. He is portrayed by Liam O' Brien. Early Life and History with Umbrella "You look like a man who's seen worse than I have..." --Ivan's first words to Mikhail in a medical tent. Mikhail grew up in near poverty with his two other siblings in Moscow Russia. He was raised learning to respect authority and never speak out of term. Mikhail enlisted in the army and after rigorous training and exercise, he became one of the best soldiers of his time. Proud of his status, he traveled home to inform his family of his success, but was horrified to learn that their home had been raided during the night by angry civilians, enraged by his father's banking mistakes and belief that he was one of the men responsible for the economy crash. Mikhail struggled to fight through the angry mob and was hurt in the process. Shortly after the authorities arrived, Mikhail awoke to the sights and sounds of superior officers going to help him. To his horror, he found his father with his skull broken in two and his mother and siblings beaten to death. This caused Mikhail's bitter silence for a good bit of his life before he met Ivan in a medical tent. The two men were silent to one another, before Ivan spoke the first words. Mikhail learned that Ivan shared the same painful past, only he had grown up without a family, which made Mikhail pity him because of this. They connected well and shared their past's with one another. Mikhail even stayed silent about Ivan's "condition", claiming that his superior officers were "leeches anyway". After two weeks in the tent, the men returned to battle and stayed together for the rest of their days in war and even after. Ivan had actually saved Mikhail's life once and many times afterward. Mikhail met Mary Walker later on and at first, he didn't think much of her, being an American and all, but he quickly changed his views after seeing that Ivan expressed a love for her. It was later on when Mary was attacked by two of her own fellow soldiers--drunk and very eager to start trouble-- that Ivan suddenly flew into a blood-thirsty rage. It shocked Mikhail that this would happen and after Ivan literally tore the men to pieces, it took Mary and Mikhail both to calm him down. After explaining everything to them, Ivan wanted to know if Mikhail still felt the same way about him. Mikhail, surprising himself, actually did. His decision to stay with his leader came from his lack of having nothing else to go back to and nothing to lose. That and Ivan was the only true friend that he ever had in his life. After they moved to America with Ivan's small, but eager crew, Mikhail and Ivan crossed paths with James Pierce, father to Rose Bedford. It was there that the two learned James was a biological researcher and could help Ivan control his fits. Afterward, Mary and Ivan found a home together where they raised their son for the beginning of his life. Mikhail was named Mischa's godfather by Mary and Ivan and he gladly accepted the honor. He worked as a dock worker while staying close to his leader; he displayed a necessary feeling of devotion around him. After Mary was away to go to the store and Mikhail working the docks, news got back to Ivan that his wife had been shot during a robbery attempt. Once Mikhail had heard the news, he rushed back to the house and found it in complete shambles. Ivan was in the living room, screaming, his face damp with tears. It took Mikhail and Ivan's crew to calm him down. Afterward, Mikhail learned that it had been orchestrated by Umbrella to kill Mary. There was a suggestion that Alex had allowed for this to happen to cause Ivan to detach from the world the way it had happened for Rose. Ivan later turned his home and property into a junkyard, claiming that "the world's garbage" can disappear and be sold to bigger garbage. Education "You don't know many things. I didn't go to your public schools, but I learned more on the streets in one day than you did your entire life. Most of all, we looked out for each other. A quality that you seem to be lacking greatly." --Mikhail, to Leon. Mikhail's growing up in poverty gave him little time to receive a proper education in his childhood. He had to learn most of his teachings from his mother on the side and even then, it lacked greatly for his future. He did learn most things on the streets from older children, like how to ride bikes and how to fight. Mikhail's parents had been too busy to do some things for him, so he had to teach himself as well as his brother and sister. He was taught proper mathematics and skills by the army. Personality "Heh. Take it easy. I'm an old man, you know..." --Mikhail, to Claire when she saves him. Mikhail has a very frank and straight-to-the-point personality. He is often seen standing very quiet and motionless, never really speaking a word to the strangers who arrive at his boss' junkyard. Mikhail is quick to distrust anyone after what he had witnessed in the past. He has a deep, brooding personality at times, which can be very intimidating to everyone else. Sometimes, he will make the occasional threat if it means getting the point across. He has a fierce sense of loyalty, especially to Ivan and his family. Wardrobe "I wear what I wish. Do not speak against my country..." --Mikhail to Leon, regarding his Soviet arm band. Mikhail dresses in almost the same fashion the way Ivan does, only he sports thick chest armor and a brown jacket over that with fur around the neck collar. He wears a patch over his eye due to being partially blind from a gunshot to the face and a military beret. His boots have spikes on the heels and on the tips of his toes when he delivers sharp kicks to his enemies' soft, unprotected bellies. He wears gloves because of wicked burns on his hands. Physical Appearance Mikhail's age comes into factor here as unlike Ivan who cannot age, Mikhail undoubtedly can. He has coarse grey hair and a thin beard. The left side of his face is covered in mild scarring and his eye there is slightly blinded, a reversal of Ivan's right eye, which is slitted and he can see very well. His hands have been burned from a flame thrower and horribly scarred. He is muscular and very strong, given his age and could still knock a few heads together if he wanted to. Relationships Parents "My father would have told you to mind your own business, boy." --Mikhail, to Chris over the video phone. Mikhail was on proper grounds with his parents and respected them the way any boy should. He loved them very much, despite how busy they were. His father relied on Mikhail to be the "man of the house" while he was gone and at the bank. After their murder, Mikhail was rendered bitter and silent, which actually proved useful to his superiors because he didn't question authority nor did he speak against anyone. He wears a chain around his neck which was owned by his father. Siblings "My sister would have loved you..." --Mikhail, to Claire. Mikhail was expected to care for his younger brother and sister growing up, so he was put on very odd ends with them at times. He fought with them and became frustrated by the tasks that he had to do, but learned that it was expected in his household. He punched his brother in the arm once when the boy tried to fight with his sister over a snack. Mikhail expresses only the fiercest of protection to his siblings, despite his odds with them and has even beaten a boy up for teasing his brother about his height. Alex Wesker "That bastard dog will pay for what he's done to you." --Ivan and Mikhail, talking about what would be done about Alex. Mikhail despised Alex for what harm he had done to the world, but most especially, to Ivan and his wife. Once he learned that Claire and Leon were going to stop him, he jumped at the chance to join along if it meant getting revenge for his leader. He never actually meets Alex head on, but he battles his goons on the island who work alongside him. Rose Bedford While Mikhail and Rose had never really met one another, Mikhail did know of her from his research through Umbrella's files where he was able to find a connection between Rose and Ivan's incidents regarding their fallen loved ones. Because Rose generally gets along with Ivan, Mikhail ultimately does not hold anything against her. He even likes her because they all share the same horrible past and connect so well. Leon Kennedy "If you do not silence your tongue, perhaps I can take it off of your hands." --Mikhail, threatening Leon. Leon was the first one on Mikhail's black list; this comes from the fact that he seems to have a problem with him being Russian and his leader. He is always at war with the man and disgusted by his deeply racial views, only because of what he had dealt with by the late Sergei Vladimir and the rocky history that Russia had with America long ago. He finds Leon to be a nuisance and a little bit of a pest to him and even threatens him when he has the chance. All in all, he would rather see Leon disposed of, but would never speak of this because Leon and Claire seem to be friends. Chris Redfield "I do not like you. Period." --Mikhail, to Chris over the video phone. Mikhail's feelings of Chris aren't generally as poor as Leon's. He sees Chris to be "naive" about things, but he still refuses to enjoy Chris' company particularly because of his feelings about his leader and Rose, being born the way they were. Once Chris eases up on them, Mikhail seems to relax. Claire Redfield "You are strange. Not like the others. ... I like that." --Mikhail, to Claire. Mikhail enjoys Claire's company because she seems kind and doesn't seem to judge Ivan whatsoever. Claire doesn't think that it would be needed to do so since Ivan was not the enemy, which Mikhail respected. He was surprised when Claire started to talk to him out of the blue and even asked "how his life had been". He is unused to being treated with respect by an "outsider" and even more, was stunned when his leader revealed his feelings for her. James Pierce "He was a good man." --Mikhail, on James and his kindness to Ivan. Mikhail and James had met in America shortly after he moved there to live with Ivan and his family. James was what Mikhail had described as a "good man" for helping Ivan with his blood lust problems and he respected him completely for his kindness. When he learned of James' fate, he felt great sadness because "no one that nice deserved that". Quotes *''"I had often considered myself to be a very cautious man in my life. Heh. Maybe I was wrong about that too. Maybe I was just afraid."'' *''"WE SHALL HAVE OUR REVENGE UPON THE UMBRELLA SWINE!"'' *''"Is it hard to sleep, Ivan? It's hard for me too."'' *''"They've taken not only a son, but a fellow comrade in arms. TAKE THEM ALL! PIECE BY PIECE!"'' *''"Forgive me, Claire Redfield; I don't know you. I know nothing about you. You could be the devil in disguise for all I know."'' *''"I was captured by German rebels once and tortured; Ivan came and killed them all before I was burned by a flamethrower. I owe him my life."'' *''"The Pack travels together or not at all. All or none!"'' *''"IN THE NAME OF OUR MOTHERLAND!"'' *''"This has nothing to do with us..."'' *''"Smell that? Ahh yes, I smell it. It reeks of the stench of piss. These men pissed themselves. Hahah! What fools!"'' *''"Claire Redfield; please forgive me..."'' *''"Hahah. I haven't laughed in years!"'' *''"All of you! Drag them to hell!"'' *''"I never thought this war would end with me standing beside an American... No, not an American...a fellow ally."'' *''"ROT IN HELL, YOU FASCIST BASTARDS!"'' *''"Let's send these rats scurrying back to the filth of their master!"'' *''"Mother Russia will ALWAYS have her enemies."'' *''"Comrade Ivan, it is an honor to always fight by your side."'' *''"Remember this; these men are thieves. They've stolen Mary from us and now they have taken Mischa. Let us show them what we do to thieves!"'' *''"The charges have been set. Let's blow this unholy machine straight to hell where it belongs."'' *''"Hehe. Americans are funny..."'' *(To Leon) "Would you care for a drink or are your little feminine taste buds no match for Russian vodka?" *''"Illegal? Oh no. Whatever shall I do?"'' *''"Goddamn it! I'm getting too old for this crap..."'' *''"Why is it that whenever we run into trouble, I'm the one who ends up cleaning up the mess?"'' *''"You know, Ivan. It's coming back to me. Ah yes. We've done this in the past. It's that memory that leads me to believe that this plan may not work."'' Gallery Trivia *Mihkail's character was somewhat inspired by the author's grandfather. *The name Mikhail \m(i)-khail, mik-hail\ is a variant of Michael (Hebrew), and the meaning of Mikhail is "who resembles God?". The baby name Mikhail sounds like Michail, Mikal, Mikael and Michal. Other similar baby names are Mihail, Mikhalis and Nikhil. Mikhail is an uncommon first name for men but a very common last name for both men and women (#37357 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census). *Mikhail is a very quiet man and hardly speaks a word save for a few murmurs and grunting sounds, and the occasional cold remark to Leon until the events of Ivan's son's death occur and he reveals a strange, sensitive side that Claire had no idea existed. *Mikhail is supposed to represent Ivan's guardian angel in a way an angel leads a person on the right path when they find trouble. In a sense, Mikhail does this when Ivan enters the throes of his blood lust and always protects him when he needs to. *When the player is idling, Mikhail will stand there and watch them suspiciously before leaning his head back and muttering something in Russian. *Though Mikhail is generally untrustworthy of the new arrivals, it seems that after learning of it, he would rather destroy Umbrella by any means necessary instead of focusing on other "trivial matters". *Though come from numerous inspirations, Mikhail's character also had mild inspiration from the character Victor Reznov from the Call of Duty series. Appearances *Resident Evil: Code Genesis *Resident Evil: End of Days "Prequel to Code Genesis" *Resident Evil: Code Genesis Viral Series ---- Remember this: "A bazooka in the hands of a woman PMS'ing can cause mass mayhem in a zombie apocalypse." Queen-of-the-Living-Dead 15:00, January 10, 2011 (UTC)